With the world, its people, science and technology advancing at heady speeds, The greed for money, power and ownership has left mankind stressed, burnt out and caught in a headless spin.
Wake up! Shake up! Get up!
The pandemic has locked down the world, I do believe there is always a silver lining to every dark cloud, a year and a half down the line it has forced mankind to stop, breathe and reflect.
Is this the life I want to experience?
What am I reduced to?
What was the intent of my creation?
What do I want my future life to be?
The answers to all these questions can come to you only when your mind is silenced.
This silencing of the mind happens only when you turn your mind into your inner self.
You will hear a soft voice speak to you, a voice so soft and gentle yet loud and clear.
If you flinch you will miss it!
Meditation is the fastest growing trend, a word on the tip of everyone’s tongue. It is not a one size fits all. With trial and error, you can get your mojo.
I don’t want to get too much into the benefits of meditation, it’s a topic discussed till the cows come home, so I’m going tell you first hand what works for me.
Here’s a personal account on how I kick start my day with a positive attitude.
When sleep breaks naturally, my bio clock is now fixed to wake between 630 to 7am (no alarm clocks needed anymore), it’s a light awakening, alerting the mind into consciousness and stirring the body into movement. I do not jump out of bed or reach for my phone, (on silent-airplane mode) instead I give myself that time in bed to talk to my conscious mind.
I take a few deep breaths, concentrate on the breathing, fill my lungs with each inhalation and exhale fully, a couple of these bring quietness to my mind and attention to the inner voice (the voice I mentioned earlier in the article)
I thank my creator for another day.
I thank Him for His renewed strength to face all that the day brings
I thank Him for his mercy and forgiveness for all the wrong of the previous day.
I thank him for his GRACE. I just love this word ‘GRACE’, it is receiving blessings whether or not you deserve it.
The minute the word comes to my lips it brings a warm smile to my face, my eyes usually open at this time, it is a deep feeling of peace.
My inner voice then gives me direction for the day, it’s automatic, it’s clear and it’s loud.
I then recall my to-do list in sequence of events; any fear or anxiety is offered up followed by a prayer for protection of my family, friends and world leaders (Yes, the world and its leaders need prayers)
I’m now ready to jump out of bed to take on the day. (This entire ritual is repeated at the end of the day.)
If your day begins with a light yolk and ends with a light yolk, you can deal with whatever is on your plate in-between.
What else?
The practice of yoga has a wealth of health on our organic body, our physical body and our mind.
To quote my Guruji, Rekha Murthy (she does not proclaim to be a Guruji, but is to me)
“Pranayama is the practice of releasing the dormant ‘Prana’ or life force within our bodies and its vehicle is the breath.
Inhalation is the act of receiving pre medial energy in the form of breath.
Retention is when the breath is held in order to savour that energy.
In exhalations all thoughts and emotions are emptied with the breathe.
This breathing pattern or discipline of (inhale-retain-exhale) brings the mind and senses under control.
It is the mind that needs to be harnessed and through this process, it does get harnessed.
It is the transformative effects of pranayama all done through the breath.”
Apart from Pranayama, other types of popular meditation practices which are easy to inculcate into your daily life are;
- MINDFULNESS MEDITATION.
- SPIRITUAL MEDITATION.
- FOCUSED MEDITATION.
- MOVEMENT MEDITATION.
- MANTRA MEDITATION.
- TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION.
- PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION.
- LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION.
Like I said, its what works for you but definitely inculcate it into your life.
Meditation is an ancient tradition that has been scientifically studied and shown to have a big positive impact on our minds and bodies.
It increases your levels of feel-good chemicals, like endorphins and serotonin.
It’s easy to learn but needs regular practice to master.
It’s worth trying – once you’ve learnt it, you’ll truly have a skill to reduce your propensity towards negativity and the formula for a happier life.
